Indigenous Peoples’ Day
The header image above is from the Cheyenne River Youth Project, in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. They connect local youth to their Lakota culture and heritage through a diverse array of garden- and food-based programming.

What is Indigenous  Peoples’ Day?

This day celebrates the rich culture, traditions, and lives of Indigenous Peoples around the world, and also acknowledges the history of marginalization, displacement, abuse, and forced assimilation these populations have experienced.

In North America, Indigenous Peoples are Native Americans and their descendants who were the original inhabitants of the territories that make up the United States and Canada, before colonization. There are 574 tribes recognized by the U.S. government, and another 300-plus sovereign Tribal Nations.

Check out the resources below to learn about ways to to stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, support Indigenous communities, and connect learning to your garden. 

Resources for Indigenous Peoples’ Day

All Land is Indigenous Land

“It is important to understand the longstanding history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation.” - Northwestern University

Visit the Native Land interactive map to discover the native territories of land you reside on and learn about doing a Territory Acknowledgement.

Dive deeper with this list of Land Acknowledgement resources from Oregon State University. 

 

Food & Agriculture of Indigenous Peoples 

Here are a few resources to connect your study of Indigenous culture to your garden program.

From First Nations, read their “Nourishing Native Foods & Health” Publication or a book from Indigenous Communities.

The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) is a great place to learn about “Empowering Agriculture through Tribal Sovereignty" with their extensive collection of resources from the EATS Academy.

Food Tank shares 17 Indigenous Agricultural Programs to Recognize International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples and Five Indigenous Farming Practices Enhancing Food Security.

Read about the work of National Farm to School Network in Farm to School in Native Communities and view the list of resources they include on their website.

Check out the KidsGardening Digging Deeper article on Native Wisdom: Growing Techniques of Indigenous Peoples. Both of the program spotlights Abenaki Food and Heritage and Oglala Lakota Youth include activities and action steps to deepen kids' learning.

If you’d like to share other resources with fellow educators and parents, please join the “Ideas for Celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day/Indigenous Practices" discussion on the Kids Garden Community.

Indigenous Peoples and Organizations to Follow on Instagram

Learn about their experiences and support their causes:

Lily Nguyen